An advertising manager is a person who is responsible for the creative communications aspects of a brand or an organization. He may work in an advertising agency or be a part of the marketing communication function of a company. He is responsible for managing brand communications in the form of advertisements through various media like television commercials, print publication, radio, digital and outdoor etc. Most advertising managers are trained through some sort of an advertising management course or a brand communications course.
In realistic terms, an advertising management job requires the creation and approval of all brand communications creatives and collaterals. They often deal with clients and work according to the brand guidelines of the clients’ brands.
Advertising is considered to be a highly glamorous and attractive career. There are many youngsters who are interested in a career in advertising owing to some true and some fairly untrue features of this career. In this article, we will discuss some common myths that are thought to be true about a career in advertising management.
- Advertising managers are salespeople
This one is a very common myth. People believe being in advertising is same as being in sales. The job of an advertising manager is not selling products or services. His job is to ensure that the brand is communicated effectively in order to provide the salespeople with the leads which they can convert into sales. Advertising manager garners keen interest in the brand through marketing communication efforts. He does not take care of sales however, he does have an indirect role in increasing sales numbers through advertising campaigns.
- Advertising Management is an Unethical Profession
Many people misjudge the advertising industry. They think that the people who work in advertising are unethical and lack values. This is because the general thought process is that advertising involves selling a product or service at any cost to people and for that advertising professional end up lying every day to the end customers. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The advertising industry has to follow stringent measures while creative communication for the customers. They have regulations to adhere to and they work under standard norms of creating advertising content. Secondly, lying would eventually lead to the client’s reputation being tarnished in the market, which will have a disastrous impact on both the client as well as the advertising agency.
Like any other industry, the advertising profession is full of hard-working and honest people. It takes hard work and dedication to work extra long hours. Advertising also boasts of the best creative minds who churn out quality advertising for their clients on a regular basis. Hence, there is no truth to this common myth surrounding advertising management.
- Advertising Managers Make a Fortune
It is not impossible to make a fortune in advertising however, that is not the general truth. Advertising like any other profession gives an opportunity to people for working well and making money. Professionals need to work their way up to make a fortune. It does not mean that everyone is able to be a millionaire working in this field.
- It is difficult to get an Entry into Advertising Management
Since advertising is a field with a lot of glamour associated with it, it is possible for many people to get attracted to make a career in it. Because of this, it may appear to be highly difficult to find entry into advertising. However, it does not mean that it is always very difficult to get into the field. The entry-level difficulty depends on a person’s talents. If there is a good candidate who shows promise, he will find a way to make it into advertising. Especially if the beginners do not mind burning the midnight oil and doing plenty of legwork, there is no dearth of jobs in this field. Once you gain entry, you can work your way up.
- Advertising Management Equals Public Relations
The general perception is that advertising and public relations are the same work. While both are part of the brand communications domain, advertising is a paid form of communication done to enhance a brand’s image in the minds of the customer. Public relations are different from this as it is generally not paid. It aims towards finding ways of increasing the media coverage for a brand for free. It deals with press releases, conferences, media relations etc. Advertising deals with creating creative content for television commercials, radio spots, print publications etc.
The world of advertising management might look shiny, but it is also a field that requires a lot of hard work, dedication and long hours. In order to start a career in this field, understand your interests first and see if it matches the needs of this career.